The Puppets and Puppeteers of Star Wars

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Star Wars™ art comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. And we’re not just talking prints and concept work! There’s lots of art that makes it onscreen, from spaceship models to background paintings and more. There’s also immensely amazing art found in Star Wars‘ many puppet characters. The puppets themselves are fantastical yet realistic, fitting right into a galaxy far, far away.

Over the years, they have ranged from full-bodied characters to animatronics and classic string puppets. Additionally, the art of puppeteering itself is showcased throughout many Star Wars films and television series, bringing iconic creatures to life before audiences’ eyes. Character puppetry is an awe-inspiring profession. Star Wars takes that performance value to the next level in characters such as Yoda™, Jabba the Hutt™, and Salacious B. Crumb™.

So, who did the puppets for Star Wars? Let’s celebrate just some of the Star Wars puppeteers’ immense achievements by learning about them below.

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Frank Oz performed the puppet characters in Star Wars

Frank Oz started his work with Star Wars in The Empire Strikes Back™. He was Yoda’s main puppeteer and a creative consultant. Oz also went on to reprise the role in subsequent films and series, working well into the Disney era — including Yoda’s most recent appearance in The Last Jedi™. He did the puppeteering, plus provided the voice for the Jedi Master. His voice was also used during the prequel trilogy’s CGI Yoda era before the sequels returned to puppetry.

Frank Oz’s puppet work beyond Star Wars

During his adolescence, Frank Oz was an apprentice puppeteer. He was hired full-time by The Jim Henson Company in 1963 to perform for The Muppets. Frank Oz was heralded as one of the primary contributors to the Muppets and often worked side-by-side with Jim Henson on puppet pairs or single puppets. A master performer, Frank Oz appeared in over 75 productions, including Labyrinth. He also went on to direct The Dark Crystal, Little Shop of Horrors, and many more beloved movies and shows.

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David Barclay was the puppeteer for Yoda and Jabba the Hutt

David Barclay has been on the cutting edge of animatronic puppetry since 1979. His extensive resume includes Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, The Dark Crystal, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Team America: World Police, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Where The Wild Things Are.

David worked on set with the puppets in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi™. He is perhaps best known for his incredible contributions to the iconic character puppetry for Master Yoda and Jabba the Hutt.  Jabba was incredibly large, weighing about one ton. The puppet required multiple handlers both inside and outside of the puppet, and David was one of them!

David Barclay at Sideshow

Recently, we were thrilled to invite David to tour behind the scenes here at Sideshow HQ and to meet with our staff. We were also overjoyed to see that he brought a very special friend with him — a stunning replica of the Yoda puppet. Check out some photos from his visit on Sideshow’s blog.

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Modern Star Wars Puppets

For the most part, modern movies rely on computer generated images, or CGI. Puppets are not as widely used. However, Star Wars still honors its roots with a few notable puppets. BB-8™, Babu Frik™, the happabore™, and the island-dwelling porgs™ from the sequel trilogy are all puppets. Of course, many of those puppets were altered and updated in post with CG editing.

Additionally, Grogu™ — AKA “Baby Yoda” — is a puppet. This little guy must be a real treat for actors to carry and cuddle with on The Mandalorian™! Legacy Effects created the Grogu puppet, which is controlled by two technicians on set. One controls the facial expressions and ears, while the other controls the hands and body. Now that’s teamwork that makes every fan’s dream work.

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Which puppet characters are your favorites? Get some Star Wars art depicting these iconic characters — plus the people who built and controlled them who are hidden offscreen! Then, show off your collection at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!